Bottle partition or divider



Sept; 28, 1943. G. w. BOH ET AL I 2,330,671

BOTTLE PARTITION 0R DIVIDER Filed March 12, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR A TTORNE Y ejozaw 50h $Wil/iam E T rn Sept. 28, 1943. G. w. BOH EFAL2,330,671

BOTTLE PARTITION OR DIVIDER Filed March 12, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 15 !1I 3 i 1 3 I 11 i ws 17/! 1a FTC-3.5.

la Fae. 8.

, INVENTOR FlG. 7, George W Bah Will/am ETbrmr ATTORNEY Patented Sept.28, 1943 7 2,330,671 I BOTTLE PARTITION on DIVIDER George W. Bob andWilliam E. Turner, Chattanooga,'Tenn., assignors to O. B. AndrewsCompany, Chattanooga, Tenn., a corporation of Tennessee ApplicationMarch 12, 1941, Serial No. 382,929 3 Claims, on. 229-42) Our inventionrelates to partition or divider elements. and more particularly to suchelements for separating bottles and preventing them from :ilbbingtogether during shipping, or transportaion.

Heretoiore in the prior art it has generally been the practice inshipping or transporting bottles from the factory where they. are madeto the bottler or consumer to pack them in paper board or card boardcontainers in rows, and in some instances the rows are spaced apart bypartitions of paper board or other material.

It has been found that during transportation bottles so packed tend torub together and sometimes cause breakage. However, one of the principalobjections occurs when bottles having irregular outer contours or raisedfigures, designs, or letters thereon are subject to this rubbing orabrasion, in which case the surface of the glass on these raised orirregular portions is rubbed off and the remaining surface assumes acreamy white color which is very difficult to read or follow, detractsfrom the appearance of the bottles, and removes the newness from thembefore they reach the purchaser. A very marked effect has especiallybeen noted on Coca-Cola bottles during hipment.

The use of plain partition or divider elements separates the bottles tosome extent but not completely. That is, the bottles in separate rowsare partially separated from each other and the rubbingengagementthereof is materially reduced but no substantial separation ofthe bottleswithin the rows is effected by such partition. Efiorts havebeen made by staggering and offsetting the bottles in the row to reducerubbing and contact generally, but this requires bending or distortionof the dividers and reduces somewhat the available packing space of thecontainer. Furthermore, these dividers or partitions not beingcoextensive with the bottles in the separate rows permit some contactand rubbingbetween them.

While applicants recognize that tabs have been employed in other arts assubdividing partitions to prevent breakage in handling very fragilearticles and as supporting elements for others when the container ispartially emptied, apparently no one has recognized their value insolving the problem of this art or has been able to adapt them to thestructures of the art in such a manner as to overcome the aforesaiddefects.

Examples of the use of tabs or subdividers may be found in such patentsas Henning, 713,216 wherein tabs are struck from the side walls of thebox and turned inwardly to subdividethe two rows of the box. For eggs orlight fragile articles packed in small quantities such a box would besatisfactory. It could not. be applied, however, to a box of generalapplication, nor to a large box having many rows of articles. Thebreaking down of the sides in this manner would also weaken thecontainer too much for use with large, heavy articles such as bottles.The same would also be true of a container such as Cohon, 1,028,438where tabs folded inwardly from the walls of a box serve tosupport andretain ciga rettes in place as the container is progressively emptied. v

Likewise, it is recognized that partition elements have been used forretaining collapsible metal tubes in place, such as Heinick, 1,016,148,and Cooney, 1,922,233, but would be wholly unsuited for the separationof bottles in the manner desired, since openings formed by the struckout portions of the tabs would permit portions of the bottles inadjacent rows to contact each other as heretofore mentioned.

Applicants with a knowledge of all these defects in and objections tothe prior art have as an object of their invention the provision of apartition or divider element for use with a box or container of generalapplication which will separate not only the rows of bottles therein butalso the bottles in each row from contact and rubbing engagement.

Applicants have as another object of their invention the provision of apartition element for use with two rows of bottles or for interpositionbetween alternate rows of bottles in a container for not only separatingthe rows of bottles but also separating the bottles in the rows oneither side thereof.

Applicants have as another object of their invention the provision of apartition or divider element which may be made in large quantities,nested together in stacks; shipped to bottle manufacturers or consumersand easily and quickly removed from such stacks as they are used in thepacking of bottles for shipment.

Applicants have as another object of their invention the provision of apartition or divider element having struck out tabs with beveledportions to facilitate the removal of the partition elements from thenested stacks.

Applicants have as another object of their invention the provision of apartition or divider element for quick and easy insertion between rowsof bottles and for offering complete separavidual bottles in each row.

Applicants have as a further object of their invention the provision ofa partition or divider element having a series of struck out portions ortabs forming subdividers for the separation of the bottles in a row anda folded over portion for covering the openings formed by the struck outtabs and serving not only to separate the bottles in adjacent rows, butalso as a stiffener for the upper extremity of the partition element.

Other objects and advantages of our invention will appear in thefollowing specificationand the accompanying drawings and the novelfeatures thereof will be particularly pointed out *in the annexedclaims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan View of the blank from which one formof our improved partition or divider element is formed. Fig. 2 is afront elevation of the same form of partition element folded intooperative position. Fig. 3 is an end elevation'of the same form ofpartition elementor2 divider. Fig. 4 is a fragmental plan View of theseries of the same form of partition elements in operative position andseparating a series of rows of bottles in a'box or container. Fig. 5 isaplan view of the blank of a modified form of our improved partitionelement. Fig. '6 .is an end viewof the modified form of blank beforebeing foldedinto operative relation. Fig. 7 is an end elevation of themodified partition element folded into operative position. Fig. 8 is aplan view of a container with our modified partition element usedtherein for the separation .of two rows of bottles.

Referring to the drawings in detail, Fig. 1 shows one form of the blankof our improved divider or partition element wherein Z designates thebody portion thereof which is joined through a'crease line 6 to a flapor folded over portion l. Struck outwardly from the body portion 2 inspaced relation adjacent the crease line 6 is a series of tabs 3 definedby slit 4 and joined to It will be apparent that the bodies of thebottles 8 are engaged substantially throughout their lengths by thesubstantially co-extensive tabs 3 which are bent outwardly along thecrease line 5 or their line of juncture with the body 2. The height ofpartition 2 is substantially the same as the height of the bottles andserves to separate rows of them. The folded over flaps l stiffen thepartition element adjacent its upper edge, serve to cover the openingsformed by the struck out tabs 3, 3 and prevent contact of bottles inrows body 2 through crease line 5 having upper straight edges and lowerbeveled edges, the lower beveled edges being for the purpose offacilitating the removal of partition elements from nested stacks bylifting the lower edge of the body 2.

The tabs 3. 3 are of such width as to be substan-' tially co-extensivewith the bodies of the bottles and of such length as to extend to orbeyond the line of contactof the bodies of adjacent bottles in a row. x1

In its use the flap l-is folded back on the body 2 of the partitionelement and with the tabs 3 projecting outwardly or forwardly from theopposite side of the body as shown in Fig. 3 the partition element ispositioned against one end wall of a container such as shown in'fragmental detail in Fig. 4 wherein l, l designate the sides and 3 thebottom. In this position the lower free edge of body 2 of the partitionelement rests uponbott'o'm 9 and the upper creased and folded edge "tiserves as the reinforced upper extremity of the partition. Bottles 8, 3are then inserted in the box with necks down, engaging and resting uponbottom 9 and with the bottoms of the bottles up. In this manner thebottles are so positioned in a row across the box or container that theforwardly extending tabs 3, 3 of the partition element are interposedbetween and separate the bottles of the row. Then another partitionelement is inserted in the same manner anda' second row of bottles isprogressively built up, and'so on until the container is filled.

on either side of the partition through such openings.

In the other form of partition element H, I2 designate outer bodyportions joined to an intermediate fiap ID through crease lines [6, l1.Each body ll, l2 has a series of struck out tabs [3 positioned in spacedrelation, joined through crease lines It to their respective bodies I I,I2, and defined by slits Id, i l. The inner edges of tabs l3 on body 1!and the outer edges of the tabs E3 on body l2 are beveled to facilitateremoval from a nested stack thereof by lifting of the extremity of body[2 of the blank.

In setting up the partition, body I2 is folded downwardly along creaseline ll and body II is folded upwardly along crease line it, with tabsl3, 3 extended outwardly from thepartition on either side thereof andhaving flaps l0 interposed between bodies H, and i2 as indicated in Fig.7.

The partition is then inserted in preferably a box of the characterdisclosed in Fig. 8 with crease line i 6 resting on the bottom [9 andcrease line l1 forming the upper extremity. Bottles 8 are then insertedin the container on either side of the partition with their necksresting on bottom l9 and tabs !3 interposed between the bodies of thebottles in each row, separating the bodies of the bottles 8 andextending along them in the same manner as indicated in connection withthe other form of partition. It will be understood also that thepartitions are of substantially the same height as the bottles andeffectcomplete separation. In addition the tabs i3 are of substantiallythe same width as the lengths of the bodies of the bottles. In bothmodifications also the beveled portions of the tabs are positionedtowards the bottle necksrather than towards the bottom of the bottles.It will be understood also that a partition of the type of the lattermodification may be used in conjunction with plain partition elementswhere a series of' rows of bottles are packed in a box by using thismodified partition between alternate rows of bottles and aplainpartition between the other rows.

In this latter construction the flap Ill serves to cover the tab formingopenings in both bodies I I and .i 2 for separating the bottles inadjacent rows from contact. And it will be understood that in bothmodifications the flaps may be folded on'the body, or, bodies folded onthe flaps, and this term is to have no significance in the methodsince 1. A bottle partition element formed from a single blank'forinsertion between rows of bottles comprising abody portion ofsubstantially the:

same'height as .the height of the bottles-to be separated. verticaltabs'struck from said body at ;tion, and vertical spaced intervals andangles to the body portion spaced intervals and bent outwardly at rightangles to the body for interposition between adjacent bottles in a row,a flap along the upper edge of said body portion, said flap beinghingedly connected to the body portion to fold downwardly upon the planeface of the body portion, the flap being of suificient width tocompletely cover the tab openings formed in said body portion.

2. A bottle partition element formed from a single blank for insertionbetween rows of bottles having a longitudinal crease defining a mainbody portion of a height corresponding to the height of the bottles tobe separated, and a flap adapted to fold upon one face of the bodyportabs struck from said body at bent outwardly at right forinterposition between adjacent bottles in a row, said flap being ofsufiicient width to completely cover the tab openings formed in saidbody portion.

3. A bottle partition element for insertion between adjacent rows ofbottles comprising a sheet body divided by spaced parallel creases toform an intermediate and end sections of equal width, said end sectionsbeing adapted to fold over opposite faces of the intermediate section,and vertical tabs struck from said end sections at spaced intervals andbent outwardly at right angles to the faces thereof for interpositionbetween the adjacent bottles in a row, said intermediate sectioncompletely covering the tab openings to prevent contact between thebottles of adjacent rows.

7 I GEORGE W. BOH.

W. E. TURNER.

